WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: Christopher Scholtes was charged with murder over the death of his daughter Parker, who was left in a car for almost three-and-a-half hours in baking temperatures
A chilling photograph shows the horror endured by a two-year-old girl as she died in a scorching vehicle after being left there by her father while he played video games and watched porn.
Parker Scholtes was left in the car for nearly three-and-a-half hours before her mother Erika discovered her unconscious upon returning home. The tot’s dad Christopher had arrived back with Parker sleeping in the rear of the SUV, and decided to allow her what he believed would be an extra half hour to nap.
However, a court was told Christopher became “distracted” – spending time gaming and watching pornography – whilst tragic Parker endured 43C heat in Marana, Arizona. The image newly released by police shows how she fought to escape the sweltering car, with handprints pressed against the interior window of the vehicle, inches from where Parker was strapped in to her seatbelt.
The youngster had frantically attempted to escape from the 2023 Acura MDX whilst it sat parked on the family’s driveway. Handprints can be seen scattered across the glass in the disturbing photograph, made public by Marana Police Department who probed Parker’s death before subsequently arresting Christopher.
The father-of-four, 38, was ultimately charged with murder, and, took his own life whilst in custody days before he was due to face sentencing this month.
Despite Christopher’s death, officers have released additional details regarding the case, reports the Mirror.
Cops revealed that the father drank beer, played video games and watched pornography inside the family’s air-conditioned home while his daughter fought for survival. Parker’s mum Erika, 37, returned from her job as an anaesthetist to discover Parker, who was then rushed to hospital.
Police tests revealed that the car seat’s surface temperature was a scorching 149.1F, according to comprehensive incident reports by the officers.
They reported that Parker had been buckled into her forward-facing car seat in the Acura MDX, but managed to scramble to the rear driver’s side window, leaving her fingerprints behind. On the floor beneath Parker’s feet lay an iPad with a pink case and two tiny, child-sized pink sandals.
The window was facing west, taking the full force of the blistering sun which rapidly caused the temperature inside the car to soar.
It was expected that Christopher would face a prison sentence of between 20 to 30 years. When police arrived at the Marana home, they spoke to Christopher who, sporting a backwards Vans cap, a lip ring, and flip-flops, informed officers that he left his daughter in the car with the engine running and the air-conditioning on because she was asleep when they got home.
However, he lost track of time and the engine automatically shut off after about 20 minutes – as confirmed by police testing.
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